


Urgency

by Twentythreefandoms



Series: Urgency [1]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cheating, Depression, Explicit Language, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Modern Era, Physical Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-03
Updated: 2016-03-29
Packaged: 2018-05-24 11:45:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6152647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Twentythreefandoms/pseuds/Twentythreefandoms
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur moves into a new flat after his girlfriend Sophia breaks up with him suddenly. Merlin (literally) bumps into him, and Arthur's life is thrown into a whirlwind. The pair immediately hit it off, but it is revealed that Merlin has a boyfriend with a nefarious past and a more violent present.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

The first person Arthur met upon moving into his new flat was Merlin, who incidentally looked even worse than Arthur, and that was saying a lot. Having been recently dumped and kicked out of his apartment by his longtime girlfriend Sophia, for reasons even Arthur still couldn’t quite grasp, the blond had no problem going an extra day without a bath, or even respectable clothes for the public.

However, Arthur was grieving in the most dramatic way he could; it was how he coped. Especially living in the rubbish bin pretending to call itself his new apartment. It was the only thing vacant on such a short notice, and no matter how many bribes and amount of dollar bills thrown at the nice flats in London, they wouldn’t budge. He had to settle for the shoebox. Though, he had to suppose that the location to his work was decently shorter than before, but he still had the right to complain.

It was the second day of his move-in when the two met by chance. Arthur was hauling another box into his apartment when a large (but skinny) mass rammed itself into Arthur, causing him to trip and fumble before dropping the heavy box, effectively breaking all of his bowls.

“Oh shit!” The person cursed before Arthur could even turn around, “That sounded expensive. Shit. What was that? I’m so sorry!”

The person kept rambling on as they helped a still-stunned Arthur to his feet. Arthur turned to face the man who ran into him, about to give him a piece of his mind but stopped abruptly when he locked eyes with him. The man looked around his age, maybe a few years younger,  was the same height as Arthur and had long black hair that framed his face beautifully. Arthur was officially hooked by his piercing blue eyes that just peeked from under his dark fringe. His lips were gorgeous as well, and Arthur couldn’t help but stare at them momentarily, completely forgetting his first objective to yell at the man in front of him, no matter how anguished the dark-haired man appeared.

“They were my bowls.” Arthur replied lamely, blinking before dropping to his knees and opening the box, a loud groan of frustration escaping his mouth when it was revealed they all had broken.

“Fuck, I’m so sorry.” The man replied, dropping to his knees as well and touching the broken glass. “Can I buy new ones for you? Please, I feel so terrible!”

Arthur rubbed his face and stood up, “It’s fine, I can buy them at the store.” He held his hand out for the man to take, but he continued to stare in anguish at the bowls. Arthur rolled his eyes and reached for the man’s arm to pull him up; but once he wrapped his fingers around the man’s arm he yelped in pain and shrunk away from Arthur.

The blond stared in shock, unable to move, “I’m sorry… did I hurt you?” He asked cautiously.

The man stood up and nursed his arm, “No, I’m okay!” He smiled altogether too quickly for Arthur to completely believe him.

“Okay… That’s, umm… that’s good….” Arthur replied, at a complete loss for words, “Sorry.” He said again, wishing to reiterate the message.

The man grinned at him after a moment, making it seem like Arthur’s apology was the nicest thing that anyone had ever done for him, “I’m Merlin, Merlin Emrys.”

Merlin held out his uninjured hand for Arthur to shake, which he complied immediately, taking Merlin’s hand in his, “Arthur Pendragon.”

Their hands hesitated for the shortest of seconds before they separated, “Well, Arthur Pendragon. I don’t care what you say, I owe you a new set of bowls. I know a nice shop where I can get them for you.”

Arthur smiled, enjoying Merlin’s determination, “I don’t mind--”

“Really, I insist.” Merlin persisted, “And you look like you haven’t eaten anything proper in awhile. How about we head down to this local place I know that has the best burgers I know. I’m buying.”

Arthur blushed slightly and smiled at the look of optimism from Merlin. There was something about Merlin he couldn’t quite put his finger on, “I mean, if I’m not keeping you from anything…”

Merlin’s smile faltered slightly, “Nope. Not a thing.”

 

~*~*~

 

It turned out the clumsy yet gorgeous Merlin was also great company to Arthur. Merlin took Arthur to an antique shop that sold dishes made from local vendors, Merlin revealing that it was a passion of his to shop only locally. Arthur found dishes he liked which would match the rest of his utensils, and soon the pair were heading back to the building to drop off the bowls before they would go out to eat.

“You _really_ didn’t have to do that.” Arthur commented after a moment of comfortable silence hit the two.

“And I _really_ didn’t mind.” Merlin grinned, eyeing Arthur from underneath his fringe, causing Arthur to swallow.

“Are you always this difficult?” Arthur chuckled, wanting to bump into Merlin but was afraid that he’d inadvertently hurt him like before.

Merlin shoved his hands in his sweatshirt pocket and shrugged, “I guess so. You would have found out sooner or later.”

“How so?” Arthur questioned.

“Because I’m too curious for my own good and I would have snooped on you eventually. It either would have been me accidentally breaking your dishes or you threatening to call the police.”

Arthur threw his head back and let out an unabashed laugh, “There would have been no in-between, Merlin?”

Merlin laughed, “I’m afraid not.”

Arthur and Merlin approached their building and made their way to Arthur’s door. He had Merlin reach into his pocket and grab his keys and let them in the bare apartment so that Arthur didn’t have to set down the heavy box of bowls.

Finally making his way to the kitchen Arthur set down the box on the counter and found that Merlin was gazing at a few picture frames that Arthur had managed to hang on the wall. One was a picture of himself with his sister Morgana at Disneyland Paris when they were younger, a second of Arthur and his rugby mates Leon, Lancelot, Percival and Gwaine; and the last being a picture of Arthur graduating University.

“Snooping?” Arthur grinned as he came to stand next to Merlin.

“Afraid so.” Merlin replied cheekily, moving to take a closer look at the pictures. “You seem to have a lot of friends.” He noted.

“They’re great. You should meet them sometime.” Arthur found himself saying before he realized what he had said, “Sorry. That sounds really weird. We just met and I’m inviting you to meet my friends.”

Merlin smiled softly and continued to look fondly at the pictures, “I don’t mind.” He looked at Arthur and there was a lingering look between the two. It was a look that Arthur had seen before, the _come hither_ look. _The_ look. Before Arthur could protest his thoughts, Arthur pulled Merlin closer by the sweatshirt pocket in front and brought him flush against his body. Another grin escaped Merlin and he pulled Arthur so that the blond was crowding him against the wall.

Merlin wrapped his arms around Arthur’s neck and leaned in so that he was brushing his lips against Arthur’s ear, “Kiss me so hard that I forget everything.” Arthur moaned and made to do just that, but a loud slam of a door from down the hall stopped the two in their tracks, causing them to remember their current situation. Merlin stepped away and looked off in embarrassment. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.”

“It’s okay…” Arthur breathed, his heartbeat slowing down slightly.

Merlin had an indistinguishable look on his face when he finally locked eyes with Arthur and grabbed his wrist gently, “C’mon, I believe that I owe you dinner.”

 

~*~*~

 

The pair enjoyed their dinner at a small food joint in the outskirts of London, and it quickly turned into a new favorite for Arthur. Before he could stop himself he told Merlin that the two needed to go there at least once a week, causing Merlin to laugh and heartily agree to Arthur’s request. It was nearly impossible to explain how within hours of just meeting Arthur instantly connected with Merlin. He hadn’t even thought of Sophia and how she had caused a huge shift in his life just a few weeks ago.

They made their way lazily towards their building, never once breaking conversation until they eventually arrived back home. The pair strolled down the hallway, Merlin stressing the importance of wildlife conservation before turning a corner to their doors. It was then that Merlin stopped in his tracks, a look of fright visible on his face. Down the hall in front of Merlin’s door was a slightly older man with a handsome face which was twisted in anger.

“Cenred…” Merlin breathed, his body subconsciously moving a fraction closer to Arthur.

Arthur looked from the man to Merlin and immediately had a sickening feeling in his gut. He didn’t like the way Cenred was looking at Merlin.

“Where the _hell_ have you been?!” Cenred nearly roared at Merlin, closing the distance in ten easy steps before Arthur stepped in front of the man.

“He was with me.” He spoke calmly but with a level of threat, “And who might you be?”

Cenred snapped his eyes downward to Arthur as he continued to seethe with rage, “I’m his fucking boyfriend! We live together. Who are you?” Cenred looked at Merlin and noticed the leftover bag in his hand and jabbed an accusing thumb in Arthur’s direction, “Is this the reason you haven’t made us dinner after I’ve been working hard all day?!”

“I’m sorry.” Merlin whispered, his eyes cast downward.

The twist in Arthur’s gut clenched tighter, “Really, it was my fault. I broke some of my dishes when I was moving in my apartment right here and Merlin walked by when it happened. He showed me where to get new ones and to thank him I bought dinner.”

“Always so eager to please.” Cenred spat sarcastically. “Come on, you’re going to make this up to me later.”

Arthur gawked at Merlin who refused to look at him as he walked past. _Why was Merlin willingly going with such an asshole?!_ He wanted desperately to stop Merlin, but he didn’t want the situation to worsen, so he let Merlin disappear behind his flat door, leaving Arthur alone in the hallway. One way or another Arthur was going to make sure that Merlin was okay. He may have just met the man, but Arthur could tell that there has never been another person like him, and what he meant to Arthur remained yet to be seen.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two weeks can be a long time to see someone, but luck happens to be on Arthur's side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so glad at the reception this story got! I was immediately inspired to continue writing after I woke up, so continue the loving and comments! I want you all to let me know how you feel about it so far! I'm loving this story!

It had been nearly two weeks since Arthur had seen Merlin, which had not been for a lack of trying. If he wasn’t at work or at rugby, he would find himself lingering towards his door, just waiting for Merlin to emerge so that they could speak. Truthfully, Arthur didn’t quite know what he wanted to say to him, maybe he wouldn’t say anything at all about that day. He just wanted to spend time with him. 

By chance, it was two days later that Merlin and Arthur saw each other. Arthur had geared up for his weekly rugby match with his team and had just locked his flat door when he heard his name called softly behind him. Arthur snapped around and was greeted by the sight of Merlin, who by all accounts looked the same as he did two weeks before, but Arthur knew differently know. Cenred, while not there physically, could be seen radiating off Merlin in the way he stood. Like he was waiting for the recoil of vicious words. It made Arthur sick. 

“Merlin!” Arthur exclaimed excitedly, unable to help himself. He was too glad to see him. “I’m glad to run into you!” 

Merlin smiled, “It’s nice to see you, too.” Merlin eyed his own flat door warily and looked back to Arthur, “Can we take a walk?”

Arthur tightened his grip on his rugby bag and shook his head, “Yeah, of course.” Without thinking he wrapped his arm around Merlin’s shoulders and they walked like that out of the building. “I’m just on my way to my weekly rugby match.” Arthur explained, motioning towards his uniform and bag and pulling away his arm from around Merlin’s shoulders.

“Funny enough I picked up on that.” Merlin chuckled and moved closer to Arthur so that they were nearly touching. It drove Arthur crazy. 

“Would you like to come watch?” There was a stressed look about Merlin, so Arthur clarified, “You won’t be alone! My teammates have girlfriends there, and my sister will be there.” Arthur stopped in his speech, “On second thought, better not meet your sister. A world without her might be a better one.” He grinned at Merlin who couldn’t help but laugh. 

“I wouldn’t be some weirdo fan who followed you to your match?” Merlin asked with a smirk.

“Well, you wouldn’t be the first one.” Arthur quipped. “Just try not to cry from seeing me on the field. It’s distracting.” 

Merlin laughed again, “I’ll try to refrain myself.” He hugged himself around his coat as they walked silently through London, their bodies always at the point of nearly touching, but not quite getting there. Arthur wondered if it was that big of a deal to Merlin, but then he remembered Cenred. Merlin had a boyfriend, on that he didn’t particularly care for. 

“So, how long have you and--”

“Cenred’s really not that bad of a guy.” Merlin interrupted, answering quickly. 

Arthur set his jaw, “Oh. That’s good…” He was at a complete loss for words. He saw how horribly he treated Merlin the first day they met; why was Merlin defending him?

“He’s really quite generous. And he works really hard so that I can recover from my injury and not work that much.”

Arthur looked at Merlin, “What did you do?” 

Merlin looked down and pursed his lips, “I fell.” He didn’t give Arthur the chance to ask more on the question, “He was actually my high school teacher when I was about to graduate. He was the new maths teacher and I was complete rubbish at it. I was about to fail when he started helping me out after class.” 

“He tutored you.” Arthur finished his sentence.

Merlin blushed slightly, “Yeah, sort of.” He refused to look at Arthur, and Arthur was grateful. He didn’t want Merlin to see his hardened eyes. He heard of the slimy teachers who slept with students so that they could pass, but he never thought that he’d know a first hand story. “And I dunno. We’ve just been together ever since. It’s been nearly two years now.” 

“I’m glad you’re happy.” Arthur replied robotically, every urge in his body telling him that he needed to save Merlin from this hostile relationship. Even if he couldn’t do that, he wanted to make it so that Merlin truly knew happiness. 

Merlin hugged himself tighter, “It has its good days and bad like every relationship. You just have to try to remember the good ones of the bad days.” He reasoned. 

“You might just be one of the kindest people I’ve ever met, Merlin Emrys.” Arthur found himself saying, gaining a soft smile and a blush, but Merlin never replied. 

They arrived within minutes to the rugby field, some of his teammates already warming up on the field, but Arthur walked past them and made his way to the stands. He already saw Elena, Gwaine’s girlfriend, Gwen, Lance’s wife, and his sister Morgana sitting together. All of them collectively saw Arthur and Gwen waved to him. 

“I see you brought someone.” Morgana eyed though her radiators with a smile. 

Arthur nodded and placed a hand on Merlin’s upper back, “Ladies, this is Merlin. I live across from him in my building. He’s my friend.” He told them, eyeing Morgana specifically with the last sentence, knowing the vixen and her ways. 

Elena stood up and made her way to Merlin before hugging him, “Nice to meet you, Merlin! I’m Elena. Over here is Gwen and Morgana. Vivian should be here shortly, but she said her hair curler wasn’t cooperating so she’ll be late.”

Morgana groaned and rolled her eyes (or at least she made the appearance of doing it behind her sunglasses), “Why doesn’t Percival just breakup with her already? It hasn’t even been that long and Percival is way too good for her.”

“Arthur!” Gwaine called from the field. Arthur turned around and saw his teammate was motioning for him to join. 

“I have to go.” Arthur told Merlin, “You’ll be alright?” He asked him quietly.

Merlin smiled and nodded, “I’ll be alright. Go knock some skulls.” He ordered and then joined Elena on the stands. 

Arthur grinned and made his way to the field but not before looking back at Merlin who was already engaged in conversation with Gwen. Just then Merlin glanced at Arthur and waved softly, gaining a warm feeling in Arthur’s chest. He waved back and ran off to his teammates. 

 

~*~*~

 

It was a gruesome match, but in the end Arthur’s team came out on top and one with seconds to spare, gaining a massive cheer from the crowds. Arthur had never been more elated, especially since they had beaten his biggest rival, a jackass named Valiant who Arthur had gone to uni with. Val always thought he was the greatest, and while he had the brawn, he didn’t have the brains, and not always does brains and brawn win together. 

Arthur went up to Valiant after the game and went to shake his hand, but Valiant was still steaming. Instead of a handshake, Valiant instead punched Arthur in the eye, sending a shocked Arthur to the grass. A thrawl of yells came from the stands, but Arthur was too stunned to move. He curled in and held his throbbing eye as he heard feet running to him. 

“Arthur! Arthur!” he heard a familiar voice and looked up to see Merlin running to him before falling to the ground and kneeling over Arthur. Merlin cradled Arthur’s face as he looked at Arthur, “Arthur, are you okay? Are you feeling dizzy? Do you see straight? Are there only one of me?”

Arthur shook his head slowly to brush it off, “I’m fine, just surprised is all.” He looked over and saw all of his teammates including the girls on the standing swarming Valiant and pushing him around. Soon, Valiant’s team was joining in and pushing back against Arthur’s team, Arthur knowing that a brawl would soon start if he didn’t stop it. 

With Merlin’s help, Arthur got to his feet and he ran towards the mob. “Hey! Stop! Now!” Arthur got in the middle and forced everyone to stop fighting, “I’m fine! I’ll live! They’re not worth it.” Arthur looked at Merlin, “Ready to go?”

Merlin nodded and took Arthur’s bag. Arthur nodded and walked off, followed by his team and the girls. Merlin waved goodbye to the girls who waved back enthusiastically before the two left the pitch, Arthur still nursing his eye. “Fucking hell, Valiant. I never liked him.”

“You knew him?” Merlin asked, hitching up Arthur’s rugby bag on his shoulder.

“Yeah. We went to uni together. He’s always been a prick.” 

“Yeah, that was--”

“I’m really sorry if you had a terrible time. Especially with the fight, and I left you all alone with strangers…” Arthur rambled before Merlin finished his sentence.

“--the most fun I’ve had in years.” 

Arthur stopped in midstep, stunned, before catching up with Merlin, “Really?”

Merlin glanced at Arthur and smiled, “Absolutely. I loved it. The girls were really nice, and your friends seem great, too.” 

Arthur nodded and grinned from ear to ear, “They really are. I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.” 

Eventually the pair made it to their building, and the easy demeanor that Merlin adopted when they were out subtly shrank away to a guarded figure. They turned the corner and the two let out a mutual breath of relief when they saw that a certain someone wasn’t there. They reached their doors, but Merlin hesitated at his. “Would you like to come in?” Arthur asked quietly. 

Merlin looked at his door and then to Arthur and nodded. Arthur wasted no time and turned his keys and let Merlin enter his flat first and soon followed suit. As soon as the door was shut, they were emerged in the darkness of his apartment, the only light seeping through was through his curtain blinds in his livingroom. 

“I’m still having a hard time remembering where the light switches are.” Arthur chuckled nervously, fumbling around on the wall for a switch with only one good eye. 

A hand covered his on the wall and Arthur stopped in his motions. He saw the shadow of Merlin’s figure right next to him, neither saying a word. The breath caught in Arthur’s throat when he heard Merlin drop his rugby bag on the floor and moved so that they were flush against each other. Arthur hesitantly brought his hands to cup Merlin’s face, rubbing circles on his beautiful cheekbones as Merlin placed his hands around Arthur’s waist, his hands resting on the curve of his arse. 

“Please,” Merlin whispered desperately, and Arthur wasted no time in bringing their lips together in a soft collision. At first it was cautious and tender, their lips moving in perfect unison so that they could explore each other. Then Arthur gained back some bravery and prodded his tongue to gain access to Merlin’s mouth, which was granted instantly. Afterwards it became needy and hot as Arthur crowded Merlin against the wall and grinded their pronounced erections together. 

“Fuck, Merlin.” Arthur groaned, kissing Merlin everywhere he could. 

“Yeah,” Merlin replied, thrusting up to meet Arthur’s hips and reached into Arthur’s rugby shorts to grab Arthur’s arse. “God, I love this ass.” Merlin told him, biting Arthur’s bottom lip slightly. 

Something broke in Arthur and he looked at Merlin with wild eyes, “Bedroom?”

Merlin never skipped a beat, “Yes.” 


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Progression and regression can be such fickle things.

The months after Merlin and Arthur’s hook up were the most wonderful and frustrating ones Arthur could remember. They stayed true to their word and went to Arthur and Merlin’s favorite burger place every week, and Merlin attended every Saturday morning rugby match. It also didn’t hurt that Merlin would show up at Arthur’s flat without cause and they would have a quick round on any surface they could manage. Arthur assumed they were going for some record. 

There were only two things that Merlin requested of Arthur; not to think this situation any more than two best friends who needed a stress release from their current lives, and to not mention Cenred. Arthur agreed to the first condition at first, knowing that he wouldn’t mind having a constant person to rely on for a great shag at least once a week. 

However, he had to hesitate about the Cenred situation. He didn’t care what Merlin told him, something wasn’t right about Cenred and Merlin’s relationship. There couldn’t be a healthy relationship that started out by manipulation. Eventually, he agreed to not mention him to Merlin’s relief. He made a mental note to always keep an eye out for Merlin, and if anything were to change, or if Merlin was ever hurt, Cenred would no longer be a problem for Merlin. 

Because yes, Merlin said this wasn’t anything more than a hook up situation, but they were best friends after all, and he couldn’t deny that he truly cared for Merlin more than pretty much anyone. It had all changed one night after a few months of their agreement and Merlin had stormed into Arthur’s flat without preamble, his body tense and his face enraged. 

“I caught Cenred texting some floozy he works with.” He grumbled, draping himself on the couch next to Arthur. 

Arthur was at a loss for words, but Merlin continued his rant, his voice breaking, “He says it’s nothing, but you don’t ask a really fit french teacher out to discuss ‘ _ student moral _ ’ and ‘ _ how to fix it. _ ’” 

“Merlin, I’m so sorry.” Arthur replied instantly, though he was secretly glad that the Cenred situation might be coming to a quick end. 

Merlin wiped his tears away, “I mean, we’ve been together for two years and he does this to me? What did I do to make him want to turn away? I try so hard to make him happy…” Arthur’s heart broke, and without pausing he pulled Merlin against his body and wrapped an arm around Merlin’s shoulder before kissing his temple softly.

“I’m still Cenred’s boyfriend…” Merlin grumbled. 

“Yeah, of course.” Arthur replied. 

The blond meant to pull away, but Merlin reached for Arthur’s hand before he could remove it from his shoulders and held it tightly, “But you can still do that.” He murmured, moving closer to Arthur and resting his head on Arthur’s shoulder and fitting his face into the crook of Arthur’s neck. 

“You could never do anything wrong.” Arthur whispered desperately to Merlin so that he could maybe understand how much Arthur meant it. “Never. He doesn’t understand that.” 

Merlin sniffled and pulled away from Arthur’s neck and looked at him, his face broken as he closed the distance and met his lips with Arthur’s. They embraced as they kissed, taking their time as Merlin pulled Arthur on top of him, requesting that Arthur fucked him right then and there on the couch. 

Arthur immediately complied but made sure to take his time so that Merlin would feel worshipped. He took his time removing his and Merlin’s clothes and revelled each and every part of Merlin’s body, playing close attention to his cock. He worked Merlin open like it was his favorite thing to do in the world as he took Merlin’s cock in his mouth, making Merlin cum from the intense sensation. 

“Fuck me, Arthur. Please.” Merlin begged after the two kissed lazily. 

Merlin took a condom and rolled it onto Arthur and covered his hand in lube before taking Arthur’s cock in his hand and covering it generously. Arthur wanted to let go so badly, but this night was about Merlin and making him feel good, so he pulled himself together and thrusted into Merlin, the two moaning dirtily at the sensation. Merlin wrapped his legs around Arthur’s waist and pulled him flush against his body. Arthur couldn’t effectively thrust deep into Merlin from that angle, but it was evident that Merlin needed comfort, not a senseless shag. 

The ragged breath the hit Arthur’s cheek and the slapping sounds surrounded Arthur’s senses as he lost himself in Merlin so that everything was Merlin. It wasn’t until Merlin came for a second time that night, the feeling of Merlin clenching around Arthur’s dick and he couldn’t hold back anymore. With a final thrust Arthur came, Merlin’s name leaving his lips in a hushed whisper against Merlin’s sweaty skin. This night was so different from the other ones. Before, they merely had a quick shag and they were on their way. However, afterwards the pair stayed immobile on Arthur’s couch, their bodies entwined as their breathing returned to normal. 

“Stay tonight.” Arthur requested, hugging Merlin impossibly closer to his body. 

Merlin hadn’t answered for nearly a minute until he reached behind the couch and grabbed a spare blanket in order to cover themselves. Merlin turned to face Arthur and rested his face in the crook of Arthur’s neck again, pressing a soft kiss there. Arthur swallowed and let out a long breath before falling asleep with Merlin in his arms. 

 

~*~*~

 

A pounding on Arthur’s door awoke the pair on Arthur’s couch the next morning, the sound persistent and threatening. “Fuck,” Merlin cursed, scrambling from the couch and grabbing his clothes that were scattered on the floor. 

“MERLIN!” Cenred roared from the other side of the door, his fist pounding on the door. 

“No, no, no…” Merlin hugged his clothes to his chest as he curled into himself. “He’s going to kill me… shit… no…” 

Arthur rose from the couch and approached Merlin who was staring at the door in horror. He placed his hands on Merlin’s shoulders and stared at him intently, “Hide in my room. I’ll get him out of here. He  _ won’t _ hurt you.” 

“MERLIN. OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR.” Cenred slammed the door. 

“ _ Go _ .” Arthur told him, beckoning him towards his room. 

Merlin listened to Arthur and ran into the bedroom as Arthur pulled on a pair of his sweatpants. He straightened himself slightly before opening the door, making sure to leave the chain fastened so only a sliver of the door would open. “What the fuck is wrong with you!” Arthur yelled at Cenred. 

Though it was the morning, Cenred appeared to still be in clothes from the night previous, his breath radiating alcohol as he attempted to shove himself in Arthur’s apartment, “Merlin’s in there! He isn’t in the flat and I know you’re fucking him!” 

“I haven’t seen Merlin in days!” Arthur countered easily, “and he certainly isn’t in this apartment, so I’d appreciate it if you’d fuck off so I can catch up on my sleep.” 

“You’re fucking lying!” Cenred seethed as he ran into Arthur’s door, “Let me in!” 

“This is your last chance, Cenred. Leave or I’m calling the cops.” Arthur told him menacingly. 

Cenred snickered at Arthur’s words, “Don’t be fooled by Merlin’s demeanor. He may seem like he’s innocent, but you’d be surprised what he’d do to get ahead. Or should I say,  _ who _ he’d do.” Cenred slurred his speech, but it did enough to jar something in Arthur. 

Arthur reached through his door and grabbed Cenred by his shirt and pulled him in close, “I better never catch you say anything remotely poorly about Merlin again or I’ll end you. That’s a promise.” 

Cenred never had a time to react before Arthur pushed Cenred away and slammed his door shut and locked his doors. He listened for a moment before he heard storming down the hall. Arthur crossed his apartment and looked out his window and watched Cenred cross the street unsteadily. Merlin was safe. 

The door to the bedroom opened and Arthur turned around to see a sullen Merlin standing fully dressed. “Why did you do that?” He asked robotically.

“Do what?” Arthur asked. “Get rid of him?”

“You didn’t have to say those things to him.” Merlin countered. “You riled him up and now he’s angry.” 

Arthur furrowed his brows, “I did it to protect you.” 

“I don’t need protection!” Merlin snapped, his fists clenching. 

“I think you do, Merlin. He clearly has some anger issues.” Arthur told him evenly. 

“You have no right to say that about Cenred! We all have our issues!” 

“At least I don’t take out my issues on the people that I claim to love like him!”

Merlin stopped his speech and stared at Arthur numbly, his eyes widened slightly. “He doesn’t…”

“Oh don’t play that game with me anymore, Merlin. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out something was off in your relationship!”

“Take it back!” Merlin bellowed, tears falling down his cheeks freely. 

“Only until you admit that he’s abusive towards you!” Arthur countered, moving closer to Merlin. “Tell me, Merlin, is it just emotional, or is it physical, too?”

“Shut up!” Merlin shouted, his clenched fists cradling his head. 

“Admit it!” Arthur persisted angrily, coming up to Merlin.

Merlin backed away instantly, his eyes wide and afraid. “Don’t…” His chest rising and falling rapidly. 

Arthur realised his mistake and recoiled, “Merlin, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to…” 

Merlin stared at Arthur in fright, “I need to go.” He told Arthur, his voice breaking as he continued to let the tears fall.

Arthur never stopped Merlin as he exited his apartment quietly. The blond ran to the door once it shut and eyed the peephole and watched as Merlin shakily opened his apartment door. Merlin hesitated as he stepped inside and glanced at Arthur’s door almost as if he knew that Arthur was watching him. He mouthed  _ I’m sorry _ before closing the door and returning back to his apartment. Back to Cenred. 


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur is desperate for confirmation and contact from Merlin, but that can't always mean a good thing.

It took Arthur a week without seeing Merlin to know that he was in love with him. He had been so used to seeing Merlin multiple times a week for nearly six months, and to suddenly have him not appear in Arthur’s life was more difficult than he anticipated. The second that Merlin disappeared behind his flat door had been the last Arthur had seen of him. The urge to knock on the door to talk to Merlin nearly overpowered everything in Arthur’s being; but with work until five and Cenred being a teacher he was most likely at his flat when Arthur would arrive back at his. He thought about texting Merlin, but the odds of Cenred having access to his phone was too risky. 

So, he let the silence lengthen between the two. 

Arthur knew his dependency on Merlin was bad when Morgana brought it up when he was visiting her upscale flat a little over a week after the incident. Morgana noted Arthur’s sad demeanor and dark circles under his eyes. It was then that Arthur told Morgana the whole story of his relationship with Merlin. How he was certain Cenred was abusing Merlin, and how they had been a secret item for months. 

“Well we all knew the ‘secret item’ portion.” Morgana replied flippantly as she was working on her fashion board for a top designer in London. 

“You did?” Arthur responded, eyebrows rising in shock. 

“It wasn’t like you two kept it well hidden from us. You two were like the most disgusting form of lovesick teenagers we’ve all seen. Gwaine was nearly sick from watching you two one time.” Morgana snickered until her face became serious moments later, “And what makes you so sure he’s abusing Merlin?” 

Arthur continued to explain all the details of Merlin’s relationship with Cenred, going into the stark details of how they met, and how there were times when Merlin would wear long-sleeved shirts on too hot days. To be honest, they were only minor clues, but what Arthur told Morgana that set him off was the way Merlin looked at Cenred. Arthur could see the fear and intimidation in his eyes whenever the man would so much as look at Merlin. Just thinking about it made Arthur’s heart ache and he wanted to see Merlin again. 

“What am I going to do, Morgana?” Arthur pleaded. 

“I don’t think you’re going to like this, but I don’t know if there’s anything you can do unless you have concrete proof. I know you love him, and he might love you, too, but it doesn’t matter if he’s still with someone else. Give it time, and everything will sort itself out.” 

Arthur sagged, “That’s the most vague form of advice ever.” 

Morgana shrugged and returned to her fashion board, but not before saying, “It’s the best I can do, big brother. But what it’s worth, I’ve never seen you like that with anyone. You were with Sophia for over two years and I never saw you look at her the way you’d look at Merlin. Or Merlin at you. Honestly, we all knew something was different about him the day you brought him to meet us at the rugby match. We all love him.” 

Arthur nodded, “Yeah, we do.” 

It was another two days before Merlin made contact with Arthur. In the middle of his work day, Arthur received a short text from Merlin who wrote, “Don’t respond. Will call tonight. Miss you.” 

The rest of the afternoon Arthur never left anywhere without his phone, always keeping it on the highest volume of his ringtone, not caring if it infringed upon a meaningless meeting his father was heading. However, the phone call didn’t happen until it was well into the night, and Arthur had nearly given up on the matter altogether. 

When the ringtone went off, Arthur snatched his phone and swiped to answer the phone the second he realized it was Merlin. “Hey…” Arthur breathed into his phone, holding his phone in a vice-like grip. 

“Hey…” Merlin, his voice hushed slightly. “I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”

“Me, too.” Arthur replied immediately. He heard the sound of cars and people on the other line, “Where are you?”

“I’m outside a pub. Cenred and I are out tonight.”

Arthur’s heart clenched when he heard Cenred’s name, and he let the silence fill the void before saying, “God, Merlin, I’ve missed you so much. I think I’ve been driving Morgana and the girls crazy--”

“I don’t think we can see each other anymore.” Merlin told him in mid-sentence. 

Arthur stopped in his tracks, “What?”

Merlin took a second to reply, his voice thick when he responded, “I just don’t think it’s a good idea.” 

“But… I don’t understand.” Arthur told him, feeling lightheaded. 

“I’m doing this for the both of us, Arthur.” Merlin told him, “God knows I don’t want this anymore than you do, but it was going to have to end eventually.”

Arthur blinked away tears, “Was it?” Merlin was left silenced. “Merlin, please don’t do this. We’ll figure this out. Come round to mine and we’ll talk it through, yeah?” He pleaded. 

Merlin sniffled, “I can’t. I could barely make this call as it is. I just needed to hear your voice.” 

“No, Merlin, don’t talk like that. Whatever it is, I’ll help you. Is it him? Is he hurting you in any way?”

Merlin took too long to respond, “I’m fine.” 

“I swear, if he has done something to you, I will end him.” Arthur told Merlin fiercely. 

“I didn’t want you to get attached to me.” Merlin told him softly. “I didn’t want to become attached to you.”

“We passed that mark a long time ago.” Arthur said, “We have to accept that this wasn’t just two men casually shagging each other. It’s more than that. Please admit it, Merlin. Admit that we are more than that.”

Merlin let out a long breath, “Yes, of course we are. But it has to stop. Cenred will--”

“He won’t do anything to us.  _ I’ll _ protect you.” 

Merlin chuckled softly, “You’re crazy, you realise that?” 

“It’s all part of my charm.” Arthur quipped back breathlessly, waiting for a reply from Merlin but never gaining one, so he decided to speak up once again, “Will you come over?” 

“I don’t--” Merlin started to reply, but a muffled voice getting closer stopped Merlin midway. The voice clearly belonged the Cenred the closer it got.

“You told me you were going to the loo!” Cenred slurred at Merlin, noticeably drunk. “Who the hell are you talking to?”

“No one. It’s.. it’s my friend Morgana. She was having problems so she rang me.”

There was shuffling with the phone and Cenred’s voice rang loud and clear on the other line, effectively causing Arthur to clench his teeth in rage, “Who the fuck are you?” 

Arthur never answered. 

“Hello?!” Cenred slurred, “Fucking piece o’ shit, both of you.”

“Give me my phone, Cenred.” Merlin told him evenly in the distance, Arthur’s heart rapidly beating in his chest. 

“Give me a blow job in the alley and I’ll give it to you.” Cenred laughed. 

Merlin made a sound of disgust, “That’s disgusting. Just give it to me, asshole.”

There was a pained sound and Cenred replied in a low and terrifying voice, “Don’t ever talk to me like that.” And the line went dead. 

Arthur stared at his phone numbly, recalling his conversation with Merlin over and over before its abrupt ending. Merlin was going to end it. Despite them having feelings for each other, he was going to give it up. Angry tears fell down Arthur’s cheeks as he made his way toward his kitchen and opened the liquor cabinet, grabbing the first bottle he could and fumbling with the cap before taking a swig. He winced and shuddered at the taste. Whiskey. 

Without another care, Arthur took another swig and then another, needing to forget tonight.

 

~*~*~

 

Yelling and loud clangs surrounded Arthur’s dreams. He had a dream much like the ones that he’d have every night nowadays. That Cenred was attacking Merlin who remained defenseless and small, but this was slightly different. It was more distant than in his dreams. He was getting pulled from the dream, but he could still hear it echoing into his subconscious. There was loud screaming and panic, that much was clear. 

It wasn’t for another minute or two that Arthur realised that he wasn’t dreaming any of it, but the noises he thought he was dreaming were coming from outside of his flat. A still slightly buzzed Arthur lifted his head from his couch and waited until the room stopped spinning before he glanced at his phone. It was nearly four in the morning he noticed when another loud clang followed by more sobs came from outside his door. 

Arthur swallowed and blinked at his door in confusion. What was going on? 

There was more sounds of shuffling and whimpering outside his door from what Arthur could hear, but the thing that brought Arthur immediately out of his stupor was a piercing scream, a scream that Arthur immediately knew to be Merlin’s, following by Merlin shrieking, “GET OFF ME!” 

And Arthur ran. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is going to be a five-part series, the next chapter will be the last one! Give this chapter some love and hopefully I'll get the last part up very soon! Thank you all so much for the support!


	5. Chapter Five

In a flash, Arthur moved from his couch and sprinted to the front door, albeit clumsily from the slight intoxication still in his body. He collided with the front door and attempted to throw it open, but forgot that the door hinge was placed on the door, causing the door to only open slightly. A heavy presence fell with the door, the screaming right in front of Arthur as he peered outside from his door crack. On the floor against his door was a balled up Merlin, crouching away from Cenred who was leering over him, his fists clenched and the side of his mouth bloodied. 

“Merlin!” Arthur yelled as he attempted to shut the door to unhinge the door lock, but Merlin’s body weight prevented him from doing so. “Cenred, get off him!” 

Cenred made eye contact with Arthur and gave an ugly deformed smile, “Here comes your fuck buddy to save the day, Merlin.” The slurring in Cenred’s speech indicated that he too was intoxicated, though much more than Arthur. Without taking his eyes off Arthur, Cenred landed a kick to Merlin’s gut, a sharp cry emitting from both Merlin and Arthur. 

Tears were running down Arthur’s face, his anger flashing out of control, “Leave him alone!” Arthur screamed, attempting to reach out to grab Cenred, but Merlin’s weight on the door prevented him from doing so. 

“Arthur,” Merlin whimpered, trying to reach into his apartment. 

“Merlin, get away from the door!” Arthur instructed, “I can’t let you in until I unlock the door!” 

Merlin made to get away, but right as Arthur made to shut the door, Cenred launched his body against it and shoving his foot into the crease, preventing Arthur from shutting the door. “I’m going to make Merlin so deformed no one will want him.” He spoke low and menacingly, “I will take every crevice that you’ve touched and twist it so that he won’t remember anyone but me.”

Arthur let out an angry yell and pushed his body against the door, but Cenred’s weight was too much for Arthur. Cenred let out a dark laugh, “And then, I’m going to come for you. I can promise you that.”

“Leave him alone…” Merlin pleaded softly, his body still wrapped within itself, his face bloody and different shades of bruises evident on his once flawless porcelain skin. 

“Tell me you don’t fucking love him and I’ll leave him to live out his sorry life alone.” Cenred turned to Merlin and spat in his general direction, “It’s a better offer than what you’re going to get.”

Merlin looked up at Arthur, his expression hurt and conflicted. He said nothing. 

It gave Arthur enough time to reach through the door and grab Cenred by the neck and slamming his head against the door frame. Cenred let out a pained groan and fell back so that Arthur could slam his door shut and unlock the door hinge, and within seconds Arthur threw open his door and collided with Cenred, sending the two onto the floor. 

Arthur topped Cenred and landed punches to the man’s face and anywhere he could reach. “You are never going to hurt Merlin again! You hear me?! I never want to see your face agai--” 

As Arthur was about to land a final blow to Cenred, a piercing pain cause Arthur to stop. He cried out in pain and looked down to see that Cenred had stabbed him with a pocket knife, right under the rib. 

“ _ NO _ !” Merlin screamed, making his way over to Arthur who had fallen on the floor, his whole body in shock. He could only stare ahead as Merlin came up to him and cradled his body, his face wet with tears. 

“Merlin…” Arthur whispered, twining his fingers with Merlin’s. 

Cenred groaned and made to get up, but someone tackled the man. Before Arthur could see who it was, though, everything grew darker until he faded into the black. 

 

~*~*~

 

The sound of heart monitors and the smell of ‘too-clean’ greeted Arthur’s senses as he awoke. He felt an immense pain in his side as he opened his eyes to inspect the wound, but was instead welcomed with the sight of a hospital ceiling. Arthur groaned and made to once again reach for his wound, but his hand was caught by a presence. Looking over, Arthur saw a sleeping Merlin, his head resting next to Arthur’s lap with one of his hand entwined with his own. 

It all came back to Arthur when he saw the state of Merlin’s face; the cleaned up cuts on his face from where Cenred had hit him, the bruises on his arms and neck from things Arthur could barely begin to imagine. Merlin must had have sensed Arthur’s gaze on him, because he slowly blinked his eyes open and looked up at Arthur. A slow smile displayed on both the men’s faces as they smiled with open affection towards each other. 

“Hey,” Arthur smiled, holding tighter to Merlin’s hand. 

Merlin smiled and placed a kiss on Arthur’s hand, “I missed you.” 

“How long?” Arthur asked, his voice now noticeably unused. 

“Just under two days.” Merlin replied, “The doctors said your body was letting itself heal, but I figured you were just being lazy.” Merlin grinned, causing Arthur to laugh.

“Yeah, stabbings tend to do that to a person.”

A dark cloud seemed to cast over Merlin, a set frown replacing his smile, “I’m so sorry about all of this. About Cenred…”

“You have nothing to be sorry about.” Arthur told him sincerely. “I would have done it again if it meant I could save you.” Arthur then remembered the stranger who came to help them before Arthur passed out, “Who was the person who came to help us?” 

“I believe that would be me.” Came a voice from outside the hospital room. 

Arthur and Merlin looked over to see a man in a police uniform. He looked familiar to Arthur, and the man must have noticed because he walked into the room and smiled gently, his face kind, “Yes, we’ve met before, Arthur.” The man spoke, sitting opposite of Merlin, “I’m Elyan, Gwen’s brother.”

Arthur and Merlin’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. Arthur then remembered that he had seen Elyan at Lance’s and Gwen’s wedding years previous. “Elyan.” Arthur chuckled, “How did you--?”

“I got a call about a disturbance in your building, so I went to check it out. Who would have thought I’d run into my brother-in-law’s rugby mate. Especially in that condition. You two won’t have to worry about Cenred ever. With his string of violent acts and,” Elyan glanced at Merlin briefly, “His relationship with younger students, he’s not going anywhere for a very long time.” 

Arthur and Merlin sighed with relief and smiled at each other, their fingers locking tightly. “Thank you, Elyan.”

Elyan nodded and stood up, “I’ll have to ask you two questions later, but for now I’ll let you two rest and reconnect.”

The two nodded their thanks and watched Elyan go before they turned their attention back to each other. Arthur motioned for Merlin to join him on the small hospital bed, to which the younger man willingly obliged. Merlin curled around Arthur’s frame, his hand resting on top of Arthur’s heart. Arthur rested his head against Merlin’s, placing soft kisses to his temple. 

“I wanted to thank you, Arthur.” Merlin told him after a moment. “I don’t know what would have happened to me if I hadn’t met you.”

Arthur hummed against Merlin and sighed, “It’s over with. Now we can move forward.” He concluded. “Together.”

Merlin yawned and sagged against Arthur completely, “Okay.” Merlin agreed. Merlin twisted his head so that the two were looking at one another, “I love you, Arthur. More than you could ever know.” 

Arthur’s smile radiated across his whole face and he planted a long kiss on Merlin’s lips, “I think I have some idea.” He said after a moment. He reached up and cupped Merlin’s face with his left hand and rested his forehead against Merlin’s. “Live with me?” He asked, his heart skipping a beat, which was noticeably from the heart monitor. 

“Of course.” Merlin replied softly, causing the two to grin with pure happiness. 

And that was their beginning. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh! It's done! Thank you so much to everyone who read this little story of mine! I've been struggling to write these past few months, but this gave me my muse to continue! I am so thankful for this fandom, I truly call it home! Again, thank you so much for your support!


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